A NEW DAY A NEW DAY - Toronto Construction Association

Chairman’s Message
The Way
Forward
New board chair Glenn Ackerley
believes that the TCA’s strengths
will be essential in crafting new
responses to new challenges
Glenn Ackerley, Chair
Weirfoulds Llp
By Andrew Brooks
FOR GLENN ACKERLEY, A CONSTRUCTION LAWYER WITH WEIRFOULDS LLP AND
the new chair of the TCA board of directors, challenges
come with the territory, and they can be opportunities
too. That kind of mixed bag is an accurate reflection of
the state of the industry in 2010 as he sees it.
As the first lawyer to be named to the position, Ackerley
sees divergent viewpoints as one of the most important
advantages the TCA has in working to advance the industry. “I’ve always felt that one of
the TCA’s biggest strengths is its character as a mixed-trade association,” he says. “Anyone
in the ICI sector can be a member, whether you’re a lawyer, architect, accountant, a
mechanical contractor, an electrical contractor, a supplier... the list is huge.”
That diversity also poses a challenge. “The association has to offer value to all the
different types of members,” Ackerley says. “We have to focus on being relevant to all of
the members in those various disciplines.”
One way to remain relevant, Ackerley believes, is to focus on education — both in
the usual, institutional sense, and in terms of the ongoing learning that should take
place throughout a career. Remaining adaptable is an essential survival skill, especially
in uncertain times.
“BIM [building information modelling] is one example,” Ackerley says. “We already
have a program to educate members about what BIM can do and how to get the most
from the technology. And I think firms that don’t take the time to learn about technology
tools like BIM now will be left behind over the long run.”
BIM has benefits beyond its obvious advantages in articulating the stages and processes
that go into project scoping. “Everyone has to work together, because the technology
draws in all the different roles and shows how they interact,” Ackerley says. “It shortcircuits
a lot of the potential conflict that can arise.” By clearly delineating the roles
played by different disciplines, BIM helps to ensure that any ‘conflict’ that does arise
will be over specific problems and challenges that would have had to be addressed in
any case.
In another way, education touches on the future health of the industry itself. The
industry is aging, and the need for fresh, young talent to fill the ranks is only going to
get more acute as the years go by. “There’s a real shortage of skilled trades and skilled
management,” Ackerley says. “So we as an industry have to strive to attract people, to
show them the kinds of opportunities they can have in this field.”
Builders’
Digest
Toronto Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective
Toronto Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective
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President
Senior Vice-President
Branch Manager
Since 1867
Toronto
Construction
Association
Kevin Brown
Robert Thompson
Jeanne Fronda
Andrew Brooks
Joe Strazzullo
Nolan Ackman
Marlene Moshenko
Carol Simpson
Jim Signatovich
John Pashko
Andrew Brooks
Kelly Parker
Roma Ihnatowycz
Liz Katynski
Adrienne N. Wilson
Robert Thompson
Nancie Privé
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written consent of the association. Published November 2010.
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6 | Builders' Digest Quarter 3 2010